Friday, September 30, 2011
Dr. Ed Fieg Visits Home of Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable
Corkerys Roll a Seven: It's Two Much!
Sarah Corkery, daughter of FFN writer Greg Fieg, recently went to the Basset Health Care Center in Oneonta for a sonogram to determine if her baby, due on December 12, is a boy or a girl.
It is neither a boy nor a girl, but TWIN boys! The babies are fraternal twins and the sonogram shows they are of excellent weight. Of course now the odds are that the birth will be somewhat earlier than the originally predicted date.
Grandfather Greg thinks the first boy should be named after Doris Holm's late brother Hank and called "Hanky" and the second boy could then be called "Panky."
The parents are happy, the grandfather is happy and the Pope is happy.
Sarah and husband Kevin are currently the parents of five daughters: Maren, Grace, Karoline, Collette and Frances. They will call the team "The Oneonta Owls."
It is neither a boy nor a girl, but TWIN boys! The babies are fraternal twins and the sonogram shows they are of excellent weight. Of course now the odds are that the birth will be somewhat earlier than the originally predicted date.
Grandfather Greg thinks the first boy should be named after Doris Holm's late brother Hank and called "Hanky" and the second boy could then be called "Panky."
The parents are happy, the grandfather is happy and the Pope is happy.
Sarah and husband Kevin are currently the parents of five daughters: Maren, Grace, Karoline, Collette and Frances. They will call the team "The Oneonta Owls."
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Probe Predicted to Show Pilot Blacked Out
A federal investigation being awaited after the crash of a World War II era P-51 fighter at a Reno air race last week will show that the pilot blacked out and was unconscious at the stick when his plane slammed into the viewing stands, killing 11 and injuring more than 50, according to a veteran pilot and longtime Fieg family friend.
"He never knew what hit him," said Robert "Punchy" Powell, 90, of Atlanta, who was personally acquainted with the downed flyer, Jimmy Leeland, 74. Leeland and his plane, a type of fighter which Powell and the late Lothar "Bud" Fieg flew during World War II, are now the subjects of an intense investigation by the National Aviation and Transportation Safety Board.
Officials say results of the probe will take weeks because the plane virtually disintegrated into thousands of pieces on impact, many of which impaled members of the audience.
"He went into a high-speed dive, pulling 8-11 G's which caused him to black out," Punchy said. "Photographs show him slumped over," Powell said.
Under the stress as described, a 200-pound man would weigh 2,000 pounds and need to endure the weight plus resulting loss of blood to the brain.
Punchy consulted numerous eye-witnesses and exchanged information with other veteran fliers before blaming the crash on the failure of the plane's "elevator trim tab," a leveling mechanism attached to the tail. The trim tab was not built to withstand heavy gravitational exertion caused by radical modifications to Leeland's fuselage, wings and engine to achieve speeds in excess of 500 mph, a velocity that exceeded the original plane's limitations by more than 200 miles per hour, Punchy said.
Punchy, who bunked with Bud during their service with the 8th Army Air Force in England from 1942-45, is a former Air Force test pilot and veteran of 87 combat missions. About two dozen of those missions, mostly over Nazi-occupied France and Holland, were flown alongside Bud. The two primarily flew P-47s and later P-51s such as the one that crashed in Reno.
Punchy got his first P-51 after Bud took up Punchy's P-47 for a test flight and it caught fire. Bud bailed out and that was the end of that. Punchy's second P-51, a D-model, was given to him after his first one caught fire and he crashed it in an English potato field.
At the end of the war Punchy, then a lieutenant, and Bud, then a captain, separated from the Army but Punchy returned to the Air Force at the outbreak of the Korean War. With service as a test pilot, he has flown more than 22 types of aircraft, including the B-25 carrier bomber. After Korea he retired with the rank of captain.
Punchy is the author of "Blue Noser Tales," a book about the 328th Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group in which he and Bud flew. He called the P-51 arguably the best all-around fighter produced during the war; only a few dozen remain airborne today. Known as Mustangs, the propeller hubs of the P-51s of Punchy's and Bud's unit were painted blue, hence the name "Blue Nosers."
The 352nd was one of the most successful in the war, having been credited with downing or destroying 776 German aircraft, including 554 in the air, among them 11 newly-developed German jets with far greater acceleration and climbing power than the P-51. Seven German planes were destroyed for every one lost in the 352nd.
Powell is the winner of some 10 service ribbons including a coveted French decoration for his participation in the historic D-Day invasion that marked the beginning of the fall of Europe. He also holds the Air Medal with three oak clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaves and two presidential unit citations, both of which he shares with Bud.
One of Punchy's and Bud's presidential citations was awarded for a single day's engagement, when 38 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Powell is also credited with air and ground victories in which he destroyed six enemy aircraft, among them an ME-110 fighter and an HE-177 bomber plus two "probables" and seven damaged.
Bud won the Air Medal eight times and the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, plus the Victory Medal and other decorations. He is credited with destroying an ME-109 in the air plus four planes on the ground, including a bomber.
Powell earned the nickname "Punchy" after winning the West Virginia Golden Gloves Flyweight Championship in 1937. He currently maintains a small aviation museum in his home, with the numbers of visitors there approaching 200.
His story of helping Bud approach the former Catherine Shafer of Oneonta with a marriage proposal is legend in the family lore. Bud, who is remembered by Punchy as being painfully shy, thought of Punchy as something of a ladies' man and asked his advice on how to approach Catherine when he returned to Oneonta on leave in 1944, because he had never as much as even held hands with her.
"I told him when he sees her and she puts out her hand, just ignore that and give her a hug and a big kiss," Punchy recalled. "He came back and said, 'Punchy, it was just like you said, and it worked. I'm engaged."
(To see a brief review of the publication or to purchase a copy of Punchy's book "Blue Noser Tales" for $25 per copy, a special discount to any family members of veterans who flew in the 328th., go to: http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/reviews/books/bluenosertalespreview_1.htm He is currently working on a memoir and can be contacted at 404-636-3747 or bluenoserbob2@juno.com or bluenoserbob@352ndfightergroup.com.)
 |
| Bob "Punchy" Powell in his D-model Mustang, his second P-51 of the war. |
Officials say results of the probe will take weeks because the plane virtually disintegrated into thousands of pieces on impact, many of which impaled members of the audience.
"He went into a high-speed dive, pulling 8-11 G's which caused him to black out," Punchy said. "Photographs show him slumped over," Powell said.
Under the stress as described, a 200-pound man would weigh 2,000 pounds and need to endure the weight plus resulting loss of blood to the brain.
Punchy consulted numerous eye-witnesses and exchanged information with other veteran fliers before blaming the crash on the failure of the plane's "elevator trim tab," a leveling mechanism attached to the tail. The trim tab was not built to withstand heavy gravitational exertion caused by radical modifications to Leeland's fuselage, wings and engine to achieve speeds in excess of 500 mph, a velocity that exceeded the original plane's limitations by more than 200 miles per hour, Punchy said.
Punchy, who bunked with Bud during their service with the 8th Army Air Force in England from 1942-45, is a former Air Force test pilot and veteran of 87 combat missions. About two dozen of those missions, mostly over Nazi-occupied France and Holland, were flown alongside Bud. The two primarily flew P-47s and later P-51s such as the one that crashed in Reno.
Punchy got his first P-51 after Bud took up Punchy's P-47 for a test flight and it caught fire. Bud bailed out and that was the end of that. Punchy's second P-51, a D-model, was given to him after his first one caught fire and he crashed it in an English potato field.
At the end of the war Punchy, then a lieutenant, and Bud, then a captain, separated from the Army but Punchy returned to the Air Force at the outbreak of the Korean War. With service as a test pilot, he has flown more than 22 types of aircraft, including the B-25 carrier bomber. After Korea he retired with the rank of captain.
Punchy is the author of "Blue Noser Tales," a book about the 328th Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group in which he and Bud flew. He called the P-51 arguably the best all-around fighter produced during the war; only a few dozen remain airborne today. Known as Mustangs, the propeller hubs of the P-51s of Punchy's and Bud's unit were painted blue, hence the name "Blue Nosers."
The 352nd was one of the most successful in the war, having been credited with downing or destroying 776 German aircraft, including 554 in the air, among them 11 newly-developed German jets with far greater acceleration and climbing power than the P-51. Seven German planes were destroyed for every one lost in the 352nd.
The 352nd counted among their numbers 29 aces, including George Preddy of Greensboro, NC, who has a street named for him in his hometown. He had 24 victories and probably would have gone on to become the top ace of the war but he was killed while chasing three ME-109s at tree-top level, two of which he shot down before he was caught in friendly fire by ground units who had been awaiting the Germans and fired at the third.
Powell is the winner of some 10 service ribbons including a coveted French decoration for his participation in the historic D-Day invasion that marked the beginning of the fall of Europe. He also holds the Air Medal with three oak clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaves and two presidential unit citations, both of which he shares with Bud.
One of Punchy's and Bud's presidential citations was awarded for a single day's engagement, when 38 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Powell is also credited with air and ground victories in which he destroyed six enemy aircraft, among them an ME-110 fighter and an HE-177 bomber plus two "probables" and seven damaged.
Bud won the Air Medal eight times and the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, plus the Victory Medal and other decorations. He is credited with destroying an ME-109 in the air plus four planes on the ground, including a bomber.
Powell earned the nickname "Punchy" after winning the West Virginia Golden Gloves Flyweight Championship in 1937. He currently maintains a small aviation museum in his home, with the numbers of visitors there approaching 200.
His story of helping Bud approach the former Catherine Shafer of Oneonta with a marriage proposal is legend in the family lore. Bud, who is remembered by Punchy as being painfully shy, thought of Punchy as something of a ladies' man and asked his advice on how to approach Catherine when he returned to Oneonta on leave in 1944, because he had never as much as even held hands with her.
"I told him when he sees her and she puts out her hand, just ignore that and give her a hug and a big kiss," Punchy recalled. "He came back and said, 'Punchy, it was just like you said, and it worked. I'm engaged."
(To see a brief review of the publication or to purchase a copy of Punchy's book "Blue Noser Tales" for $25 per copy, a special discount to any family members of veterans who flew in the 328th., go to: http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/reviews/books/bluenosertalespreview_1.htm He is currently working on a memoir and can be contacted at 404-636-3747 or bluenoserbob2@juno.com or bluenoserbob@352ndfightergroup.com.)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Around the House at 10 North Sixth
1. GRANDFATHER LOTHAR FIEG was well acquainted with the typical American fare, but sauerkraut and schnitzel and various other German dishes were no strangers to his pallet either. Moreover, he also extolled the value of a certain European-style dietary additive, and consumed it regularly in his kitchen at 10 North Sixth Street. This was:
Sunday, September 11, 2011
2012 Reunion Plans Are Under Way
Diana Fieg-Monaco of Diana Travel and Tours, has negotiated a special arrangement with the beautiful lakeside Cobblescote Inn, just north of Cooperstown, for a special Fieg Family Reunion from Aug 3 to Aug 5, 2012.
Details are being worked out for a dinner Saturday night and a picnic on Sunday, both to be catered, unlike the pot luck affairs of the past. Those traveling from out of town can join us at Cobblescote, find accommodations elsewhere or drive in. John and Anne Roman, Sue and Ed Williams, Greg Fieg, Diana Fieg-Monaco and Bill Doyle, and Judy, Joe and Emilie Kestner have already committed to the event.
Please be thinking about the activities you'd like to have at our special event and let one of the board members know. Would you like an adults-only cocktail party, horseshoe tournament, cow-tipping or talent show? Hey, it could happen.... and we want to hear your ideas!
More details to follow as they become available. SAVE THE DATE!!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Blenheim Bridge Addendum
Steven Fieg, who has relatives on his mother Catherine's side in Schoharie County about 40 miles east of Oneonta where the bridge is located, remembers that his father and grandfather, Bud and Lothar Fieg, found it to be a structural marvel in that it stretched across the often tempestuous Schoharie Creek for 232 feet without the benefit of any footings other than the two stone pilings at either end.
Sightseeing, Celebrity Sleuthing in NYC
Nancy Fieg and her aunt Lisa Fieg spent more than $200 -- including $75 for a single order of macaroni and cheese -- at the hip celebrity hangout Waverly Inn in New York's Greenwich Village, but not only did they miss regulars 'Bob' De Nero and 'Bob' Redford, they didn't even see George Hamilton or Joe Franklin!
They were not entirely disappointed, however, during a four-day hiatus of sightseeing and celebrity stalking.
Nancy, 25, of Des Moines, is the daughter of Col. Edward L. Fieg Sr. of Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield, Calif., and Karen White Fieg of Grimes, Ia. Nancy is planning to move to New York next spring, so she visited her aunt in the "Big Apple" to familiarize herself with the environs and just have fun.
And she and Aunt Lisa actually did see two celebrities, and big ones!
Multiple Emmy-award-winner and Tony-winner David Hyde Pierce, who played Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," was spotted walking his airedale in Riverside Park.
Golden Globe-winning actor Paul Giamatti, who was in "Sideways," "Planet of the Apes," "Saving Private Ryan" and some 60 other motion picture, television and stage productions, was seen at an adjacent table as Nancy and Lisa were dining at the very hip Spotted Pig restaurant, also in Greenwich Village.
Thinking she would not be noticed, Aunt Lisa tried discreetly to take a picture of Giamatti with her camera phone, but as soon as she snapped the photo Giamatti turned and glared at her. She couldn't find a hole big enough to crawl into.
Nancy currently works as a customer service representative for Wells Fargo in Des Moines, but she plans to market her culinary arts degree when she moves to New York. She is a granduate of Iowa State University in Ames, Ia.
Among the Nancy's and Lisa's stops was the 1827 Episcopal "Church of the Transfiguration" at 29th Street and Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. One of Nancy's ancestors on her mother's side designed stained glass windows there.
They also visited Washington Square, Central Park, the new World Trade Center and 11 other restaurants other than the two mentioned. Needless to say, the two were exhausted at the conclusion of their -- uh -- vacation.
They were not entirely disappointed, however, during a four-day hiatus of sightseeing and celebrity stalking.
Nancy, 25, of Des Moines, is the daughter of Col. Edward L. Fieg Sr. of Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield, Calif., and Karen White Fieg of Grimes, Ia. Nancy is planning to move to New York next spring, so she visited her aunt in the "Big Apple" to familiarize herself with the environs and just have fun.
And she and Aunt Lisa actually did see two celebrities, and big ones!
Multiple Emmy-award-winner and Tony-winner David Hyde Pierce, who played Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," was spotted walking his airedale in Riverside Park.
Golden Globe-winning actor Paul Giamatti, who was in "Sideways," "Planet of the Apes," "Saving Private Ryan" and some 60 other motion picture, television and stage productions, was seen at an adjacent table as Nancy and Lisa were dining at the very hip Spotted Pig restaurant, also in Greenwich Village.
Thinking she would not be noticed, Aunt Lisa tried discreetly to take a picture of Giamatti with her camera phone, but as soon as she snapped the photo Giamatti turned and glared at her. She couldn't find a hole big enough to crawl into.
Nancy currently works as a customer service representative for Wells Fargo in Des Moines, but she plans to market her culinary arts degree when she moves to New York. She is a granduate of Iowa State University in Ames, Ia.
Among the Nancy's and Lisa's stops was the 1827 Episcopal "Church of the Transfiguration" at 29th Street and Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. One of Nancy's ancestors on her mother's side designed stained glass windows there.
They also visited Washington Square, Central Park, the new World Trade Center and 11 other restaurants other than the two mentioned. Needless to say, the two were exhausted at the conclusion of their -- uh -- vacation.
Historic Blenheim Bridge Washes Away
Steven Fieg sent news that the Blenheim, NY covered bridge, the longest of its type in the world, was completely washed away by the raging Schoharie Creek in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
The bridge was built in 1855 and was considered the longest single-span wooden bridge in the world, measuring 228 feet. It was an iconic structure, virtually the only tourist draw in this small Schoharie County town of just over 300 residents.
The Blenheim Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996..
Says Steven, "My Dad, Lothar Fieg jr, (Uncle Bud) told me his father used to love to inspect the bridge and admire how it was built and how well built it was. My Uncle from my mother's side (the Shafers) always wanted to drive by that bridge and how proud they were of having a world record right there in Schoharie County."
The bridge was built in 1855 and was considered the longest single-span wooden bridge in the world, measuring 228 feet. It was an iconic structure, virtually the only tourist draw in this small Schoharie County town of just over 300 residents.
The Blenheim Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996..
Says Steven, "My Dad, Lothar Fieg jr, (Uncle Bud) told me his father used to love to inspect the bridge and admire how it was built and how well built it was. My Uncle from my mother's side (the Shafers) always wanted to drive by that bridge and how proud they were of having a world record right there in Schoharie County."
Thursday, September 1, 2011
LXXXV
On Saturday September 3, 2011 our beloved Maxine Fieg Whiteside will turn a glorious 85 years old. She certainly does not look any where near that age.
Let the celebrations begin!!
Let the celebrations begin!!
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